The subject matter disclosed herein relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device layout to improve device reliability and robustness.
Power conversion devices are widely used throughout modern electrical systems to convert electrical power from one form to another form for consumption by a load. Many power electronics systems utilize various semiconductor devices and components, such as thyristors, diodes, and various types of transistors (e.g., metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFETs), junction gate field-effect transistor (JFETs), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), and other suitable transistors, in this power conversion process.
Generally, when a semiconductor device is conducting current, the on-state resistance of the semiconductor device represents its conduction loss, which impacts the efficiency of the power conversion system and its cost. To reduce the on-state resistance and conduction losses of the semiconductor device, the dopant concentration of various regions of the semiconductor device, such as the source regions, well regions, and/or body regions, may be increased. However, regions of high dopant concentration may degrade the certain properties of semiconductors, such as silicon carbide (SiC), which may worsen the reliability of portions of the semiconductor device, such as gate oxide layers. Accordingly, it may be desirable to develop semiconductor device layouts that improve device reliability without substantially diminishing device performance.